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My brother-in-law Doug
loves to quote the tagline
from the movie Spider-Man—“With great power
comes great responsibility.” And, while
it’s only a tagline from a movie and
most of the time when he says it he’s
joking, there’s certainly a lot of truth
contained in that statement.
Our faith is a perfect example. With
our faith comes great power. But it’s
also a big responsibility.
For instance, recently my nieces
Samantha and Mary asked me to be
their Confirmation sponsor. I was
extremely humbled and honored. But
I was also a bit intimidated. Being a
sponsor is a big responsibility. And, in
case I didn’t already realize that, I got
a letter from one niece’s parish telling
me so.
But it was a good opportunity for me
to reflect on exactly how I’m living my
faith and fulfilling my own promises at
Baptism and Confirmation. I was thankful
for the reminder to stop and take
stock of my own faith life.
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 A Perfect Opportunity
This month we begin the 40 days of
Lent. It’s a perfect time to reflect on
how responsible we’re being with our faith before we celebrate Easter. Don’t
believe me? What better example of
great responsibility coming with great
power is there than the story of Easter?
Do the names Judas Iscariot and Pontius
Pilate ring a bell?
Lent gives us a perfect opportunity to
take a long, hard look at our faith and
how we’re living and nurturing it.
Through practices such as fasting and
abstinence, we are reminded to slow
down and reflect. Remember, we are
gearing up for the greatest celebration
in the life of the Church.
A Worthwhile 'Time-out'
As a mother of three, I recognize and
appreciate the value of a “time-out.” I
always hope that my kids learn something
from being put in time-out—
other than that their mom is mean. I
want them to grow as people and that’s
why I correct them, sometimes over
and over for the same thing, until they
understand.
Take advantage of this Lent as your
own time-out. Use it as a way to help
you grow in your faith and your
responsibility for that faith. The following
suggestions may help you along
the way:
• Put it in words. The quote that I used
to start this column could mean a lot
of different things to people. Some will
think I’m nuts for reading so much
into it. Others will see much more than
I have. Take some time to write down
what those words—or other quotes that
you like—really mean to you.
• Make a retreat. Take advantage of this
Lenten time-out. If you can’t physically
go on retreat, take one mentally.
St. Anthony Messenger has a book series
entitled A Retreat With. Each book takes
you on a retreat with people such as the
late Pope John Paul II, St. Francis,
Mother Teresa and many others. They
are available by calling 1-800-488-0488
or on this Web site.
• Reflect on how responsible you are
being with your faith life. Make note of
ways you are growing or ways in which
you can improve. Keep that note close
at hand as a constant reminder.
• Think about last Lent. Did you fulfill
the promises you made during that
Lenten season? If not, what went
wrong? If so, have you made any
changes? If you didn’t quite get it right
last Lent, perhaps you should give it a
second try this year before moving on
to a new promise.
Next Month: The Drama of Easter
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